Compartment lid holder for automobiles



A ril 27, 1965 J. D. BROWN GOMPARTMENT LID HOLDER FOR AUTOMOBILES FiledJuly 27, 1962 INVENTOR JAMES D BROWN United States Patent M 3,180,668COMPARTMENT LID HOLDER FOR AUTOMOBILES James D. Brown, 4291 ConcordDrive, Trevose, Pa. Filed July 27, 1962, Ser; No. 212,886 '2 Claims.(Cl. 292-276) The invention relates to a device of the type designed forholding a compartment lid, particularly the trunk lid of an automobilein a partially open position.

It is well-known that occasionally something has to be carried in thetrunk of a car which is too large or bulky to permit the completeclosing of the trunk lid. So as to prevent the, mostly spring-biased,trunk lid from opening all the way and thereby impeding the view of thedriver, it is customary to use a piece of string, rope, wire or a coilspring, the ends of which are slid through holes or fastened toprojections of the car body and of the lid. This is, however, veryawkward and unsatisfactory. Holes for the rope or the like are oftenhard to find or non-existent or they may be covered by the bulky objectlocated in the trunk. The holes, such as cut-outs, mostly have'sharp,ragged edges which cut through the string or rope after a relativelyshort drive. An important additional shortcoming of these knownexpedients is that the lid, so as to prevent it from flapping up anddown, has to be fully and firmly pressed down onto the object in thetrunk compartment; this is often undesirable or even prohibitive becausein doing so, the object in the trunk may be stratched or otherwisedamaged, for instance be bent or broken.

The object of the invention is not only to overcome the aforesaidshortcomings of known devices but to achieve additional advantages andto provide a novel holder believed to be applicable to all or nearly allconstuctions of trunks and trunk lids now in use, without requiring anychanges or other adaptations.

The aforesaid and other objects and advantages are achieved inaccordance with theinvention by a, preferably tubular, substantiallyrigid rod and a pair of means, preferably clamps, adapted to engagerespectively the margin of the trunk opening and of the lid or any otherparts of car body and lid which offer themselves for engagement by themeans.

More specifically, the novel holder incorporates the 7 following furtherfeatures which add to its adaptability and general usefulness. Both ofthe engagement means are securable in different positions to the rodalong the length thereof, and one end of said rod is adapted to en-'gage the bottom of the trunk compartment so as to transfer through therod at least part of the weight of the trunk lid to said bottom. Theengagement means are universally swingable'relative to the rod byuniversal journal connections provided laterally of the engagement meansbetween the latter and the rod, the swingability permitting adjustmentof the engaging means to the relative angular position of the rod on theone hand and body parts or lid to be engaged by them on the other hand.

Further objects, advantages and features of the invention as well asspecific advantageous details thereof will be more fully disclosed bythe following description of one embodiment of the invention and by theillustration thereof in the attached drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary,.diagrammatic, small threequarter rear view ofan automobile having its trunk lid held in partially open position bythe novel holder.

FIG. 2 is 'a fragmentary section along a longitudinal, vertical plane,showing the novel holder in elevation and Y Eddhfihd Patented Apr. 27,1965 partially in section on a substantially larger scale than FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of part of the rod, of the lowerengagement means and of part of the margin of the trunk opening, theview being taken in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The automobile shown in FIG. 1 comprises a trunk compartment 5 having anopening surrounded by stationary lower and lateral body portions 6, 7, atrunk lid 8 and a rear window 9. Shown within the compartment 5 are alarge box 14), extending rearwardly beyond the lower member 6 of thetrunk opening, and a pot 11 with a plant therein, extending upwardlybeyond the confines of the compartment 5 when its lid 8 is closed. Foraccommodating the objects 10 and 11 within the compartment, the lid 8has to be held in about the position shown in FIG. 1, so that on the onehand the lid will not press on the plant and on the other hand will notbe raised by the customary balancing springs (not shown) to a completelyopen position in which it would block the drivers view through rearwindow 9.

For securely and stationarily holding lid 8 in the shown or in any otherpartly open position, .a brace or holder 12 is provided which isdiagrammatically shown in FIG. 1 and the details of which areillustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4.

The main elements of this brace or holder 12 are a rod A and two clampsB and C. The rod is composed of two telescoping members, preferablytubes, 13 and 14, the outer member 14 being provided with a wing-bolt15, screw-threaded into a nut 16 which latter is permanently attached,such as by welding, to tube 14. Upon loosening of bolt 15, the parts 13,14 can be longitudinally pulled out or pushed together and then byretight-ing bolt 15 secured in any desired lengthwise position.

The clamps B and C are preferably, for manufacturing economy, identicalwith each other. They have a 0- frame 17, one leg of which presents asupporting surface 18 provided with a somewhat resilient or soft cover19, whereas the end of the other leg has a hub portion 20 into which isscrew-threaded a bolt 21 operable by a slidable handle 22. The other endof bolt 21 has a ball head 23, swingably encased by a correspondinglyshaped ball socket on pressure member 24. The engagement surface ofmember 24- is likewise covered with a somewhat resilient or soft cover25.

The mid-portion of clamp 17 has a lateral ball socket 26, swingablyreceiving a ball member 27, which latter is formed on a sleeve 28. Eachsleeve 28 is adapted to slide on rod part 16 or 14 respectively and hasscrewthreaded therein a hand screw 29 so as to secure sleeve 2S in anydesired position along the length and around the circumference of therespective rod part.

The clamps B and C are, as visible from the drawing, adapted to engagemarginal portions of the compartment opening enclosures 6 or 7 and lid 3respectively. Clamp B engages by its parts 18, 19 and 24, 25 the waterdrainage and reinforcing channel 30 and the upper clamp C engages by itscorresponding parts the outwardly projecting overlap flange or portion31 of lid 8. The resilient or soft coverings 19, 25 prevent marring orother damage of the body or lid portions engaged by the clamps.

The margins of compartment openings (trunk as well as motorcompartments) are in present-day automobiles universally formed as shownin the drawing or very similar thereto. Consequently, the new holder canbe used in connection with any present-day automobile or at leastapproximately so. It may be mentioned here that occasionally it may bedesirable to use the new holder for the motor compartment so as to keepthe lid in open posi- 32 of preferably soft material such as rubber orplastic.

so that one of them may firmly engage the bottom 33 of the trunkcompartment. Besides, these caps prevent injury to persons or objects bythe unprotected ends of red A and serve as-retainers against inadvertentremoval or" the sleeves 28.

It is easily understood that the angular adjustability of the clampsrelative to the rod'permits the clamps to be turned to any possibleangular position of the parts of compartment and lid to be engaged bythem. It also per: mits any angular position of the rod itself in case aparticular angulm position should be necessary to by-pass outwardlyprojecting contents of the trunk compartment. For instance, when verylarge and Wide objects in thetrunk extend over the entire Width of thetrunk it is possible to attach the brace, or holder to the side marginsof opening and lid.

It is furthermore obvious from the drawing and from the foregoingspecification thatthe new brace holds the: trunk lid firmly in anydesired position Without the latter being able to flap up or down andwithout the danger of the brace giving away.

The invention is not restricted to the illustrated and describedembodiments or details thereof but is susceptible to simplifications,modifications and adaptations.

What is claimed is:

1. Compartment lid holder for automobiles comprising a substantiallyrigid rod, a pairof engagement means, said means being adapted forreleasably gripping respectively a margin of the lid and a-marginof thecompartment opening so as to hold the lid in open position, both of saidengagemcntmeans being lengthwise adjustably secured to said rod, and oneend of said rod being adapted to engage the bottom of theitrunk'compartment so as to transfer through the rod at least part ofthe Weight of the trunk lid to the-bottom or" the compartment.

j 2. Holder according toclaim 1, in which said engagement means eachhave. a journalconnection with said rod adapted for universaladjustmentofthe angular. position of such means, relative to said rod,'said universal connection being a ball-and-socket joint and beingarranged laterally of said means and said rod betweentheiwo.

References Cited by the Examiner. UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,631,355 6/27,Baldwin.

1,735,212 11/29 Pawsat.

2,919,789 11/35 'Mahannah.

2,671,355 3/54 Hawkins. V 2,974,989 3/61 Hilbers 292-276 HENSON woon,1a., Primary Examiner;

1. COMPARTMENT LID HOLDER FOR AUTOMOBLIES COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLYRIGID ROD, A PAIR OF ENGAGEMENT MEANS, SAID MEANS BEING ADAPTED FORRELEASEABLY GRIPPING RESPECTIVELY A MARGIN OF THE LID AND A MARGIN OFTHE COMPARTMENT OPENING SO AS TO HOLD THE LID IN OPEN POSITION, BOTH OFSAID ENGAGEMENT MEANS BEING LENGTHWIDE ADJUSTABLY SECURED TO SAID ROD,AND ONE END OF SAID ROD BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUNKCOMPARTMENT SO AS TO TRANSFER THROUGH THE ROD AT LEAST PART OF THEWEIGHT OF THE TRUNK LID TO THE BOTTOM OF THE COMPARTMENT.